


New Normal

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Discord: Umino Hours, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hatake Sakumo/Orochimaru (background), Hurt/Comfort, Kid Umino Iruka, Kid Yamato | Tenzou, Orochimaru is Kakashi's Mama, Teen Hatake Kakashi, Umino Hours Winter Bingo, Umino Hours Winter Bingo 2020-2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:19:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28729524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: It has been months since the Kyuubi broke free and took his parents away, and Iruka, wrapped up in a whole new kind of home, is still trying to settle into it while struggling with his grief.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka & Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 14
Kudos: 89
Collections: Kalira's Iruka Winter Bingo Stories (2020-2021), The Umino Hours Winter Bingo 2020





	New Normal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the space 'Curled Up/Cuddling by the Fire' on my [Iruka Winter Bingo board](https://kalira.dreamwidth.org/33520.html)!
> 
> It's been wondered why I haven't written SakuOro taking in bb!Iruka before. . . Well, here's one snippet of just that.
> 
> (Iruka is 10, Tenzou is 13, Kakashi is 14.)

Drifting in a hazy space between sleep and awareness, Iruka could hear his mother’s voice, though it felt as though it were coming from somewhere very far away. He sighed, trying to sink back into sleep, feeling a yawning pressure that told him he _did not want to wake_.

Then-

Iruka jerked awake, his mother’s voice suddenly gone, leaving cold, painful knowledge reasserting itself in his mind. His mother’s teammate made a soothing noise, hand sliding over his shoulder, and Iruka keened, turning away and curling up on his side. Sakumo crooned, rubbing his back comfortingly, and Iruka stifled a sob, pressing his wrist against his mouth.

“I’m sorry, Irukkun.” Sakumo said softly, and Iruka scrubbed the heels of his hands across his face. He shook his head. It wasn’t- It wasn’t _Sakumo_. It wasn’t his fault.

Iruka just . . . missed his parents. _So much._ He choked as he tried to keep back another sob, but it just broke through anyway, along with a rush of tears.

Sakumo sat with him as he cried, eventually pulling Iruka upright and into his lap, hugging him supportively close. Iruka felt too big to be held like this, but. . .

He couldn’t deny Sakumo’s broad, solid warmth was comforting. He buried his face against Sakumo’s shoulder and found, as Sakumo’s hand cradled the back of his head, that he wasn’t done crying yet. Sakumo didn’t rush him, rocking him from time to time and murmuring nonsense sounds into his hair.

He sniffled as he pulled back, and Sakumo pulled out a handkerchief, drying his face. He coughed a little, briefly unable to breathe through his clogged sinuses, and Sakumo pressed the cloth into his hands, encouraging him to blow his nose.

“Come on, why don’t you come out into the main room for a while. Maybe have some cocoa?” Sakumo suggested, and Iruka sniffled again, but nodded, letting Sakumo pull him to his feet. He kept his hands on Iruka’s shoulders, guiding him out to the cushions by the irori, which already held a crackling fire.

“Here, warm up.” Sakumo suggested, giving him another gentle nudge. “Keep an eye on him, sapling, mm?”

Tenzou yawned, stretching and sitting up a little more as Iruka folded his legs and edged closer towards the irori. Iruka smiled weakly, and Tenzou reached out to him, rubbing a hand over his shoulder and arm. “Of course, Dad. Iruka.” he greeted, smiling gently.

Sakumo kissed the top of Iruka’s head, wrapping a heavy quilt around his shoulders. He wasn’t really that cold, but he _felt_ it, somehow. “I’ll go see to that cocoa. Tenzou, would you like some?”

“Yes, please.” Tenzou rubbed his face, letting his own quilt slide down a little.

Sakumo ruffled Tenzou’s hair then walked away. “Excuse me, lovely.” Iruka heard him from the kitchen, shifting sideways to get a bit closer to Tenzou. “Just going to. . .” His voice faded away with the click of the kitchen door closing.

It should have felt wrong, Iruka thought, the way Sakumo treated him - patronising somehow, or like Sakumo was trying to take over being- being something he was not to Iruka, but it was only. . .

It was nice, though. He never had to ask, Sakumo - and Orochimaru - were always there when he faltered, or when it started to hurt even- even more. It had been months, but he still had moments when he almost forgot his parents were. . . That they were _gone_.

Iruka fought the hot pressure of tears welling up, staring hard at the fire and biting his lip.

A rush of cold air made him jump, shivering, and Tenzou wrapped an arm around him as he looked around for the source. He caught the barest glimpse of Kakashi’s crouched on four paws by the open door before he blurred into his usual shape, kneeling. He rose smoothly, closing the door swiftly and cutting off the cold wind from outside.

“Aniki!” Tenzou grinned, and Kakashi smiled back, tugging his mask down.

“Yo.” Kakashi hopped up from the genkan, no shoes to remove, and crossed towards them.

“Okaeri!” Orochimaru called from the kitchen, and Kakashi headed that way, detouring close enough to trail a hand over Tenzou’s shoulders and then Iruka’s along the way. Iruka turned forwards again, eyes drawn to the flicker of the fire, curling his fingers into the hem of his shirt.

Kakashi returned a few minutes later, tugging Iruka’s quilt higher around him before settling in at his side. Iruka fidgeted and Kakashi rubbed his back, shifting until Iruka was snugly cuddled between the brothers.

It _wasn’t_ like home - he’d never had something like this - but it was perhaps more comforting for that, in a way. Home, after all, was gone and couldn’t be got back - but this was nice in a new way, and the complete change from anything familiar was a little reassuring.

Iruka let his head sag onto Kakashi’s bony shoulder, then shivered, jerking upright. “You’re cold!”

Kakashi laughed, patting Iruka’s knee and pulling away a little. “Sorry.”

“Maybe you should wrap up a little more.” Sakumo suggested, dropping a fur-lined blanket over Kakashi’s head. His hair was even wilder when he pulled it off, laughing, and Sakumo grinned, offering him a mug. It smelled like apples and cinnamon, and Kakashi hummed as he took it, folding his legs and reaching up to adjust the blanket around himself. 

A touch to Iruka’s shoulder made him straighten, looking up.

“Here you are, little one.” Orochimaru said, offering Iruka a mug of his own. He ducked his head, wrapping his hands around the warm ceramic and looking down at the dark cocoa. Orochimaru stroked his hair and squeezed his shoulder, then moved away, choosing a spot in the cushions around the corner of the irori.

“Sapling.” Sakumo offered another mug of cocoa to Tenzou, who wriggled under his father’s hand on his shoulder and immediately took a sip. He hissed, and Iruka laughed, glancing sideways as he heard a sound from Kakashi.

Kakashi wrinkled his nose playfully, and Iruka giggled, nudging up against him.

Kakashi wrapped an arm around him and nosed his cheek, and Iruka slouched into the light hold. No, it wasn’t like home, but. . .

Iruka supposed this _was_ his home, now. His chest ached at the thought and he wanted to cry, but he focused on the mug in his hands, the warmth of Kakashi and Tenzou on either side of him, the crackle of the fire in the irori and the low murmur of Sakumo and Orochimaru’s voices not far away. He looked over and found them tucked close together, both smiling, Sakumo toying with Orochimaru’s long hair as he drank from a mug of his own.

Iruka blew on his cocoa before tentatively trying a sip, finding it hot enough to sting but not painful. He was tired - he’d had nightmares all night, which was why Orochimaru had sent him back to bed earlier - and the weight of exhaustion made it a little easier to just . . . let his mind go blank, watching the fire and sipping his cocoa.

He was vaguely aware that he was sagging more and more against Kakashi as he drank his cocoa, but Kakashi was comfortingly solid - much like Sakumo - even if he wasn’t much bigger than Iruka, and he only rubbed Iruka’s back and hugged him closer. It made it easy to just relax into him, especially with the cocoa warming Iruka from inside at the same time.

“Just a moment, Iruka, let me take that.” Kakashi said softly, tugging at Iruka’s mug, and he let it go, slouching the other direction and closing his eyes. Iruka heard the clink of ceramic on wood, and then Kakashi was close against his side again, one bony hand - no longer cold - wrapping lightly around Iruka’s arm.

He drifted, surrounded by the quiet warmth of calm breathing and the continued sound of the adults speaking nearby.

Eventually something made him stir, and he groaned, opening his eyes and lifting his head.

“It’s all right, Irukkun.” Sakumo said softly, stroking his hair, and Iruka realised he was lying on something warm and . . . moving? He shifted a little, blinking sleepily. Tenzou. He was lying against Tenzou. “You can nap a little more.”

Iruka yawned, bringing one hand up from the fluffy softness it had been buried in to rub his face. A soft crooning sound made him sigh, rubbing his cheek against Tenzou’s belly, and he looked down to see it was Kakashi’s hair his fingers had been tangled in, Kakashi stretched out along his legs, cheek against his side, meeting his eyes.

“You too, cub, you were out all night.” Sakumo ruffled Kakashi’s hair and he yawned, showing off broad fangs, then moved up a little higher, patting Iruka’s side and nuzzling his ribs. Sakumo stepped away, bending to collect all four mugs lined up on the edge of the irori.

Gentle hands nudged at Iruka, helping him stretch out a bit and turning Tenzou onto his back, getting more comfortable. He looked up into warm golden eyes, and Orochimaru smiled, patting his cheek, then pulled at the quilt that had been wrapped around Iruka’s shoulders, tucking it around them cosily and draping another over Kakashi.

Iruka sighed, clinging a little to Tenzou and closing his eyes again as Orochimaru rose.

“Did you put something in his cocoa?” Sakumo said as Iruka heard them walking away.

“No, of course not.” Orochimaru laughed, his voice growing quieter, moving further away. “Although if he continues to have nightmares to the point that he cannot sleep, we may need to discuss the possibility.”

Iruka shuddered a little even as Sakumo answered, remembering flashes of his nightmares from the night before, and Tenzou shifted beneath him, one arm coming down to rest across Iruka’s shoulders. Kakashi curled more snugly against him, breath warm on Iruka’s chest through his shirt, and murmured something half-wordless and comforting.

Iruka sighed, feeling heavy and warm. At least here, tucked between them - weighed down a little by Kakashi lying against him, his head and shoulders shifting with every breath Tenzou took - he felt as though the nightmares were very far away.


End file.
